England soccer captain David Beckham on Friday launched his literary career, presenting his autobiography My Side and describing it as "a nice story, from my heart."
"I've got so many fans from around the world, from young children, boys and girls, to nans and grandads. I think people just like reading a nice story," Beckham said at the swanky Ritz hotel in the Spanish capital.
Sitting in front of a backdrop featuring the front cover's close-up photo together with the title in 11 languages, Beckham said "everything here is the truth and people will like reading it."
PHOTO: EPA
The book covers Beckham's family life and his thoughts on fame, but also reveals his feelings on what have been a difficult 12 months.
Beckham, who surprised the soccer world by leaving Manchester United for Madrid in June, will reportedly earn ?1.5 million (US$2.4 million) from the book.
Publishing director Michael Doggart of Collins Willow, the sporting wing of publisher HarperCollins, said at the launch that the combined first print of Beckham's book was over one million copies worldwide.
Ghostwritten by British author and broadcaster Tom Watts, the 391-page autobiography has been produced in collaboration with 12 overseas publishers, Doggart said.
The English-language edition went on sale in Britain and another 50 countries on Friday. The US edition will be released on Sept. 25.
Doggart said that the deal was signed after the World Cup last year and the book was completed at the time of Beckham's move to Madrid.
He added that he had never imagined that the book would not be launched in Manchester.
"I know that David didn't either," Doggart said.
The autobiography includes details of Beckham's romance with his wife, the former Spice Girl, Victoria, and his stormy relationship with United coach, Alex Ferguson.
"Once you read the book you'll see that there's a lot more positive stuff in there about him [Ferguson] than there is negative. Headlines can be misleading," Beckham said.
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